A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
by fictionwriter94
Summary: Odd is feeling lonely watching his friends cozy up to each other, and finds companionship in someone unexpected. Not my typical type of story, just a short drabble. Hope you enjoy, read and review!


Odd sat at the end of the lunch table, look at his friends, his hands folded in front of his face. He had a look of someone deep in thought, though really his mind was blank. Yumi sat next to Ulrich, giggling and whispering, her hand on his leg. Odd rolled his eyes, slightly disgusted by how cuddly they had become since declaring their love for each other. Aelita and Jeremie were a little more subtle about their relationship, but still shared smiles and laughs. Odd felt left out. It was a weird feeling, something he had never felt until now.

"Hey Odd, did you find a date?" Aelita asked, turning her attention away from Jeremie for the first time since they sat down ten minutes ago.

"What do you mean?" the fourteen-year-old asked, puzzled by the question. "A date for what?"

"Oh," Aelita seemed shocked. "Remember, we were all going to the movies tonight, I thought we told you."

Odd's face burned red. "Nobody mentioned it to me," he muttered, slowly getting to his feet. "I don't feel like it anyways."

He ignored the stares of his friends watching him leave. He couldn't believe they never told him. Why should they though. They were all together. He was just the fifth wheel. He kicked at a rock and threw himself on the ground beneath the large courtyard tree, watching some of his classmates kick around a football. They offered him a spot on one of the teams but he shook his head. He looked around, spotting William on one of the benches, looking as depressed as the blonde felt.

"What's up?" Odd asked, walking over to him. William shrugged, staring at the ground.

"Things are so boring anymore. What did you guys do before Lyoko?"

Odd shrugged. "I went to a different school before Lyoko. I don't really know what living at Kadic is like without having to save the world."

William sat back, pressing his hands against his forhead. "I missed so much, I was gone for months. It isn't fair that Ulrich got all that time with Yumi. That should've been me."

"Well it isn't all that bad. Aelita was there for ten years."

William let out a low whistle, then looked at Odd. "Hey, if being in a computer for ten years kept her looking like a kid, do you think maybe that's why none of you have really grown much?"

"What?" Odd couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the question.

"Think about it. We're teenagers, we grow. Everyone in the school seems to get taller, and we've hardly changed at all. Look at Milly, she's the smallest kid in seventh grade and she's almost as tall as you."

Odd scratched his head. "I doubt going to Lyoko once a week would really slow down our growth."

William shrugged. "I guess you're just naturally scrawny."

Odd leapt up, grabbing William by the shirt collar. "I AM NOT SCRAWNY!"

William held up a hand, smirking. "Calm down, I'm just making observations. Besides, your shortness suits you."

Odd released him with a scoff. "I hate being short."

William reached out, tousling the blonde's hair. "Calm down, it's no big deal. So what are you doing here anyways? I figured you of all people would be in the lunch room."

Odd shrugged, sitting down once again. "Everyone is in a relationship but me. All my friends are going out tonight and I'm stuck here, it's like nobody notices me anymore."

"I know how that feels," William muttered, sighing. "Well, since all your friends are going out, would you like to come by my room and play games or something? I got the latest Kung-Fu Commando game."

"Really?" Odd perked up at the thought of spending his afternoon playing games rather than do his homework.

"Yeah, sure. Better than doing nothing."

Odd smiled, following William towards the dorms.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

"Die, die, die!" Odd shouted, holding the controller into the air and furiously pressing buttons. William watched him, barely paying attention to the game. The screen flashed, announcing Odd as the winner. The blonde threw the controller on the bed in triumph. "The great and victorious Odd has won again!"

William smirked. "Calm down, it's just a game."

Odd glared at him. "Just a game? That's loser talk!" He let out a high pitched giggle, grinning from ear to ear. "So you're really into music and art, huh?" he remarked, looking around the room. The back wall was cluttered with empty canvases and tubes of paint, while the wall adjacent to it was surrounded with amps and instruments.

"Yeah. Just something to do to pass the time. Do you have any hobbies?"

Odd gave another grin, waving a hand around the room. "The same. Though I don't have all this stuff. I mostly borrow from the school."

"Oh." William's face grew red. "My parents just buy me supplies any time I run out, and I get a new guitar almost every year. Being creative is supposed to keep me out of trouble."

Odd shrugged. "I'm sure my parents would do the same, but they have six kids, and one of them wanted to go to an expensive boarding school in another country."

He stepped forward, one of the paintings catching his eye. He moved the others aside, taking it out and looking back at William. It was of him in his Lyoko form, cat ears and all, shooting a laser arrow. "I did that the other day," William replied. "I was going to do one of each of you, but…I dunno."

Odd looked at the painting, studying it. It had been so long since he had been on Lyoko, and he never really knew what he looked like to other people. "This is too cool. I'll buy it from you!"

"Really?" William was surprised. Odd gave him his signature grin.

"Sure! You should do one of the others too, they'd love it. I'll even tell you what Jeremie looks like so you can do his, but if he sees it he'll kill you so I'll buy that and hide it." Odd reached into his pocket, pulling out the fifty Euros his mother had sent in allowance money. "It's not much, but I can get more later."

William looked at the money in his hand. "Odd, I can't take that."

"Well I can't just take this, it's a masterpiece! Even I couldn't have done better."

William sighed, taking the money. "Okay, but just this. I don't want more."

Odd held on to the painting, quickly leaving William's room and running to his own. Ulrich lay on his bed, tossing Kiwi's ball in the air. "Ulrich, check this out!" Odd cried, holding the painting for him to see. "It's wicked cool, and William did it."

Ulrich stared at the painting. "Not bad."

"I'm gonna put it right here!" Odd announced, placing the large canvas on his desk so that it leaned against the wall. Anyone who saw it would just think it was a silly caricature of some sort, but he knew what it was. He had always hated how there was no way to get a picture of them in their Lyoko form, to save the good memories, and now he had something just as good. "He's doing you next."

Ulrich glared at him. "No thanks."

"Why not?!" Odd asked, surprised. Ulrich had been just as upset as he was about the supercomputer being shut down.

"Because I don't like the idea of William painting me," he replied, still tossing the ball. Odd shrugged, throwing himself down on his bed.

"Well anyways, I think it's super cool. I wonder if he can paint the monsters too."

"You're an artist, do them yourself."

"What's your problem?"

"William messed up, and painting pictures isn't going to change that."

"That was forever ago, Ulrich, let it go."

"Why are you so chummy with him now?"

Odd shrugged. "I guess because you're always with Yumi, and Aelita and Jeremie are inseparable. I'm just feeling left out, and he knows how I feel."

Ulrich looked at the painting, an expression of thought on his face. "It's not like I can stop you from hanging out with him. Who knows, it may be good for both of you." He grinned at his roommate. "It's a nice picture of you anyways. Best one I've ever seen."

Odd smiled, glad that his friend approved.

**Not much of a point to this story, I just figured William and Odd can be good friends in the right situation, and maybe a fic about them will be my next project. After **_**All's Fair**_** is finished of course.**


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